High-efficiency dust control strategy for wind turbine blade flash processing: CFD-DEM simulation and experimental validation

Flash structures formed during Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion impair wind turbine blade aerodynamics and require precision trimming of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) materials, generating respirable dust with peak concentrations reaching 12 mg/m 3 . To control dust dispersion, a suction hood was implemented. A coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) approach simulated gas–solid flow with fibrous and chunk-shaped non-spherical particles. Structural and process parameter impacts on capture efficiency were systematically evaluated. Capture efficiency critically depends on particle size and morphology: sub-50 µm particles achieve > 97 % capture via airflow entrainment, while particles > 50 µm exhibit significant efficiency loss due to kinetic energy amplification and trajectory instability—particularly fibrous particles (11.66–39.69 % lower efficiency than spherical equivalents). The system combines a 50-mm-diameter M1 pipeline layout (enhancing fibrous particle entrainment and mitigating blockages) with 372 m 3 /h airflow and 10,000 r/min saw blade rotational speed. This configuration suppresses blade-induced positive pressure zones and turbulent escape, balancing centrifugal effects and suction dynamics to maximize capture across particle types. Testing confirmed effectiveness in preventing dust escape, reducing workshop respirable dust mass concentration by 88.63 %. This work proposes a dust control system for more efficient and safer wind turbine blade manufacturing.